About the new edition:
13th Age was released 10 years ago as a ‘love letter’ to D&D. Designed by D&D 3E’s Jonathan Tweet and 4E’s Rob Heinsoo, it streamlined the game and introduced innovations such as the Escalation Die, and it’s One Unique Thing, a trait that every character has which is individual to them.
2nd Edition is now here–streamlined, clarified, backward-compatible, and updated with revised classes, monsters, and more. And, unlike the single b
13th Age brings crunchy but streamlined d20-rolling combat to the table, where every character has their moment in the spotlight and no class gets left behind. For 2E we’ve revised almost every core class spell, power, and talent to give players a wide array of effective options to choose from.
Monster powers trigger unpredictably during 13th Age combat, and that helps the GM have as much fun as the players! 13th Age 2E doubles down on that fun by revising our core monsters with diverse mechanics to challenge the heroes in surprising ways.
Whether you want heroic, over-the-top story arcs in your d20-rolling campaign or intense personal drama, 13th Age is for you. Every character has One Unique Thing that sets them apart from all others, and provides the raw materials for adventures and campaign arcs. Also, your character’s background provides a bonus to relevant skill checks so every skill roll might reveal a new facet of your story.
13th Age 2E strengthens the game’s other major storytelling mechanic: icon connections that link the heroes to the world’s powerful magical archetypes, including the Emperor, Elf Queen, Prince of Shadows, and Great Gold Wyrm. Like Greek heroes and their complicated relationships with the gods, your connections provide both powerful narrative advantages and . . . let’s say, interesting consequences. New icon connection examples will help players and GMs improvise stories and add twists that feel perfect, even though no one will see them coming!
